Yes, Jesus is God.
The Bible says: “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son [Jesus], in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:15-17).
In the beginning
In the beginning, the Father spoke and created the world through Jesus. Also, the “Spirit of God [Holy Spirit] was moving over the surface of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).
“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27)
God is in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son [Jesus], and God the Holy Spirit. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equally God and have the same nature, powers and abilities. God is one, because God is united. Humans sometimes refer to being one as being on the same team. Similarly, God is One, meaning God is united as in the Trinity = Tri (3) + unity.
In the beginning, the Father created the heavens and earth through Jesus the Son. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were all involved in creation, because God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26).
God in the flesh
Jesus is the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) and “in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9).
When Jesus came to earth two thousand years ago, He was born of a virgin. That is, Jesus’ spirit was placed in a woman named Mary, and God the Father gave Him a body.
“Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,
“Sacrifice and offering You have not desired,
But a body You have prepared for Me;
In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come
(In the scroll of the book it is written of Me)
To do Your will, O God.’ ” ” (Hebrews 10:5-7)
“Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.'” (Matthew 1:22-23)
One of Jesus’ names is Immanuel which means “God with us”. God was literally with us when Jesus came to earth and lived on earth for about 33 years.
When Jesus came to earth, He was made like humans in every way even though Jesus is God:
“Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 2:17).
Jesus was born of a woman (Matthew 1:18-25). He grew tired (John 4:6) and hungry (Mark 11:12). He suffered (John 19:1-3). And He was crucified and killed (John 19:16-30).
God is holy. God cannot let sins go unpunished. The Father punished Jesus the Son for sins we commit. God the Son, infinite and sinless, received the punishment for our wrongdoings. Those who put their trust in Jesus and repent of their sins are made righteous, because Jesus died as our substitute. To learn more, see what is the way to eternal life.
Jesus claimed to be God
Jesus Himself claimed to be God: “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him… He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:7,9).
When people asked Jesus who He was, “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.'” (John 8:57-58).
Thousands of years earlier, God’s servant Moses had asked God what His name is, God answered: “I AM WHO I AM… Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” (Exodus 3:14).
So Jesus, by using the same name “I am”, declared Himself to be God.
Furthermore, when disciple Thomas stopped doubting, he recognized Jesus as God.
Jesus spoke to Thomas after His resurrection: “‘Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.’
Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’
Jesus said to him, ‘Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.'” (John 20:27-29)
Bible verses on Jesus’ Deity
Jesus is God. And there are many other verses in the Bible that confirm this.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”. (Hebrews 13:8)
“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.” (Hebrews 1:1-4)
Isaiah the prophet prophesied about Jesus in the Old Testament:
“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is also called the Word of God:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it… And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-5, 14).
These verses show that Jesus is God, and there are many more verses such as these. Jesus is God the Son who died for our sins and took the punishment of our sins for us. He currently sits at the right hand of God the Father.
Why did Jesus say the Father is greater than all?
Jesus submits Himself to the Father. The Holy Spirit also submits to the Father. Just as a child does not make himself equal to his own father, so Jesus gives honor to the Father by not considering equality with Him.
Jesus said, “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one” (John 10:29-30). When Jesus said this, He declared both that He is God (being one with the Father) and that the Father is greater (Jesus is humble and obedient to the Father).
Jesus became a model for us. He obeys the Father and does what the Father does. So should we.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” (John 5:19-23)
This is a demonstration of Jesus’ obedience to the Father in everything.
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11)
Read Hebrews 1 in the Bible.